Beautiful Loser
by BreakingSuperLock
Summary: A complicated pregnancy threatens to tear their relationship apart, but the pregnancy may be the least of their concerns. Huddy, with lots of hurt/comfort, angst, and some fluff.
1. Prologue

**Here I am again, this time with a Huddy story. It feels so good to write this after not touching the fandom for four years.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own House. I also don't own Beautiful Loser by Bob Seger, which is one of my favorites.**

 **Author's note: I'm not sure what season I would set this in. I'm putting Cuddy in her late 30s and House in his mid 40s. Cuddy has been through the Joy ordeal, but hasn't adopted Rachel at this point. Anyway…**

 **On with the story!**

Of all the things Lisa Cuddy expected to hold in her hand at almost thirty-nine, a pregnancy ultrasound image was not one of them.

Especially when the pregnancy was conceived with the last person on earth she wanted to see right now.

They weren't even trying to conceive. It was obviously the last thing House wanted and the last thing Cuddy expected, no matter how much she wanted it. Hell, she was even on the pill. But the tests and ultrasound didn't lie.

She had given up on having kids years ago. Several failed attempts, a miscarriage, and the adoption that fell through finally told her that maybe she wasn't meant for motherhood.

Sighing, she rubbed her temples as she looked away from the chart on her computer. She looked down at her barely swollen stomach. Her office door slammed open and she scowled when she saw House standing there.

"Hey, sugar tits, still pissed?"

Of course she was still pissed. House had not reacted well to her pregnancy. Not that she expected him to. He eventually came around, but took every opportunity to show his reluctance until she'd had enough.

"Go away, House." She picked up a pen and began signing forms on a clipboard.

"But I just got here. Obviously going away would defeat the purpose of making the long, dangerous voyage out of my office." He sat down on the couch.

She glared at him. "I am not in the mood to talk to you right now. Get out of my office."

"Hey, you can't talk to your baby daddy this way."

She angrily slammed her pen down. "Would you just shut up for two seconds?" she snapped irritably. "I told you that I didn't want anybody to know about this yet! Do you know how many people have come to me to congratulate me?"

House stared at her. "That's a tragedy. It's so rude of people to congratulate you."

Cuddy scowled deeper. "I didn't want them to know! You know as well as I do that there's a huge chance I'll miscarry. Then what? People will know about it, which is exactly why I told you to keep your mouth shut. But did you listen? No, because you have no respect for boundaries! All you care about is screwing with me."

"You told Wilson."

"Because Wilson respects privacy. He already knew about my infertility."

"So did I. Why does it matter if people know you can't keep a bun in the oven long enough?"

"Because it's my business, not theirs. The point is that you violated my privacy, not that I ever thought you would have any respect for my wishes. I asked you to keep this between us and Wilson until I'm at least in my second trimester."

"People would figure it out on their own, you know. How would you have hidden the bigger boobs, the bigger ass, and bigger stomach?"

She sighed in frustration. "Just... just go. Go do whatever you do in your office. I'm tired of trying to get through to you. You'll never care about anybody but yourself. All you care about is making everyone miserable just so you can have some entertainment in your life."

"Hey, I told you I'd stick around for you and this spawn. Doesn't that give me a point for giving a shit?"

"I don't want you to stay because you want to make yourself look better. I want you to stay because you _want_ to, House. I need to know that you actually care about me and this baby. And so far, you haven't done much to demonstrate that. So please. Go work."

"Fine. I have to go play with a patient's colon, anyway." House grabbed his cane and stood up. "Let me know when you're ready to stop acting like an idiot."

Cuddy glared at his retreating form as he left her office. Once he was gone, she picked up the ultrasound image again. She was nine weeks along- not enough for her pregnancy to show, and plenty of time for a miscarriage. She didn't even know why she was so pissed at House. He never considered her privacy or respected her desire for it.

Maybe it was the hormones. Either way, she was dating an asshole. She just hoped House had enough sense to stick around.

* * *

He did have enough sense, apparently.

He never apologized for telling people before she was ready, but she never expected him to do that. But he did stick around. She still wasn't sure if he was doing it because he actually wanted to, or if he was doing it because he felt forced to.

She went to an OB/GYN outside of PPTH, deciding that it was best to keep as much of her pregnancy as secret as possible. House didn't accompany her to the first appointment, but he reluctantly joined her for her 14-week appointment, because she was scheduled for prenatal testing to make sure everything was okay.

Her doctor, Dr. Thompson, rubbed the wand against her abdomen and watched the monitor. When the image became clear, she turned the monitor so that they could see it as well. "There's your baby. Right now, he or she is probably three inches long."

"I still think it looks like a bigass comma," House noted as he watched the screen. Everything looked fine. He knew that an ultrasound wouldn't show problems, especially not this early. He was more worried about what the prenatal testing might reveal.

"Shut up, House. And please, don't call our child an it."

"Well, what am I supposed to call _it_ until we know what _it_ is? Until then, its name is It, unless you'd prefer Demon, Brat, Spawn, Mini-Greg-"

She ignored him and smiled softly at the image on the screen. Until now, she had refused to get too attached to this baby. But now she was fairly sure the pregnancy could go smoothly and she could let herself give in. "When will we have the results from the testing?"

"We should have them in a few days." Dr. Thompson printed two copies of the ultrasound and put them in a manila envelope. She handed it to Cuddy. "We'll call you when we have them. Now, considering your past infertility and the fact that both of you are over thirty-five-"

House cut her off. "You do realize we're both doctors, right? Or at least I am. She just runs the ship and plays doctor once every forty blue moons."

"House." Cuddy accepted the paper towel Dr. Thompson handed her and wiped the gel off of her abdomen. "We're familiar with the risks. That's why we opted for more extensive testing. Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

They left after Cuddy scheduled her next appointment.

"Thank you for actually coming," she said softly as she and House walked to her car. "It's nice to know that you actually do have an interest in this."

"Oh, I'm not interested. I'm just hiding from Wilson."

Cuddy nodded as she fished her car keys out of her purse. "Uh huh." She started the car. "Do you want to get lunch before we go back to the hospital?"

"Yeah. Followed by wild backseat sex?"

"In your dreams."

* * *

The results were in three days later.

Even though the other clinic had run them twice, Cuddy had another doctor run them two more times to make sure. When they came back positive again, she was at a loss. She had known this was a possibility.

So why was she so shocked?

She wiped at her eyes as she put the results back in the envelope and slid it under a stack of folders on her desk. "Oh, God," she murmured, tiredly running a hand over her face.

How was she going to tell House?

 **Hmm... review?**


	2. Dropping the Bomb

**Chapter 2 is here!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own House.**

Keeping the secret until she was ready for House to know proved to be even harder than she thought.

He knew something was up when he walked into her office and realized she had been crying. She blamed it on her hormones. Even though she had been prone to crying easily, House refused to believe that she wasn't actually upset.

She made sure to keep the file hidden well in her house, knowing that he would investigate to find out what she was hiding. She wanted him to know, but not until she was ready for the hell he would raise.

Her due date was February 28th- six months away. But her next appoint was in less than a month and she had to find a way to break the news before then.

Four days after she found out, she decided it was time. She waited until after work and after dinner, when she and House were relaxing on her couch as House clicked through the channels to find a movie.

"Hang on." She put her hand on his, lowering it.

"What? You want to have sex with a cat food commercial on in the background?" He smirked. "Lisa Cuddy, are you a furry? You never cease to stun me with your sexy weirdness."

She snorted and turned the TV off. "I want to tell you something. You won't like it, but I want you to sit and listen and wait until I'm done talking before you start. Okay?"

"O…kay…."

Cuddy sighed as she sat up. "You know as well as I do that something isn't right. You just haven't been snooping hard enough to find out, surprisingly. Our baby's test results came in four days ago."

He frowned. "And they're abnormal. You wouldn't me telling me this is everything was all handy-dandy."

She nodded slowly. "They are. Dr. Thompson ran the tests twice, and I had our own obstetrics department run them. I even ran them myself once to make sure. Every test was positive."

House's frown deepened. She wouldn't beat around the bush like this unless it was something that he really wouldn't like. "Make sure of _what?_ You're giving me the creeps, Cuddy."

"Our baby tested positive for Down syndrome."

House fell silent. He sat up, looking slightly down as he processed what she had just said.

"We should schedule a termination," he finally murmured after a long silence. He watched as his girlfriend's expression shifted from one of worry, to surprise, to hurt, to anger.

"You think I want to _abort?_ " she snapped. "Well, you're mistaken, House. If you don't want this child, then that's your decision. But I'm not terminating."

He scowled. "Oh, come on. You really want to spend the rest of your life taking care of a kid that'll never be on its own?"

"I want this child."

"Have you forgotten that we're doctors? This kid will have mental problems, probably problems, other health problems. What even makes you think it'll survive the pregnancy? Are you so desperate to be a mom that you'll make up for your past by keeping _this_ kid?"

Cuddy glared at him. "Get out," she whispered dangerously. "Get your things and go home. If you can't be a part of this child's life, then I'm not continuing this relationship."

House grabbed his cane and stood up. He grabbed his motorcycle keys and wordlessly limped out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

It didn't take long for tension to settle between them.

The next morning, they barely looked at each other as they walked into the hospital. Cuddy went in the direction of her office while House went straight for the elevator. He made his way toward the Oncology department.

Wilson looked up from his files when his office door opened. "Wow. You look pissed off."

"I am." House entered Wilson's office, shutting the door behind him. "Cuddy's being an idiot."

"I thought I sensed drama when I saw you parking a mile away from her car. What happened this time?"

"She wants to keep the kid." House sat down in one of the chairs facing Wilson's desk.

Wilson set his folder down. "I… thought that was official weeks ago. Why is it a problem now?"

"Because this kid is defective."

"Defective?"

House nodded with a scowl. "It has an extra copy of the 21st chromosome."

"He has Down syndrome?"

"Ding ding ding! Wow, it's like you're a doctor or something!" House snarked. "Yes, _it_ has Down syndrome. She won't know if it's a defective boy or defective girl for several weeks."

"Would you stop calling your kid defective?" Wilson interrupted. "Did you just say she won't know? You mean you won't be going when she-" He paused. "Oh, no. I know what you did. You ran out, didn't you?"

House rolled his eyes. "Don't be dense. I didn't run out. I quickly hobbled out."

Wilson rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What did you say to her?"

"I suggested- with medical reason, mind you- that she should schedule an appointment to terminate the pregnancy. Neither one of us is in any position to raise a sick child."

"You told her to abort her child after she's been trying to conceive for years."

"Apparently I don't get a say in it."

"You're an ass."

House glared at him. "For giving my medical opinion? If you found out you and the future 50th Mrs. Wilson were knocked up with a sick kid, you wouldn't suggest it?"

"House, she's your girlfriend. Not a patient. There's a difference. You didn't suggest it medically. You suggested it because you freaked out because you don't think you have what it takes to raise a child, especially one with special needs."

"Remind me why you didn't pursue a career as a mind-reader?" House scoffed as he stood up. "So even my BFF is against me in this terrible, tragic ordeal. I'll just go cry in my office."

"Right. You do that." Wilson returned his attention to his folder. "House," he called before his friend reached the door. "She loves you. And I think you really do love her. But if you want her… you're going to have to do the right thing."

Scowling, House left Wilson's office and went to his own. There was a case file on his desk and even though he had already deemed it worthless of his time, it suddenly seemed more appealing now that it could distract him.

He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. 22-year-old female, bloody urine, sudden extreme fatigue, fever... Nope. Too boring to be a distraction.

Well, this sucked. His team wasn't in yet to hopefully provide him with a slightly less boring case, he couldn't vent to Wilson, and Cuddy was pissed at him. Maybe rightfully so, but it was for the best if he wasn't involved.

Wilson had a point. House did freak out (he wasn't scared, because he wasn't a giant wuss like Wilson and Cuddy seemed to think), but he had reason to. He was 47 and crippled- too damn old to find the energy to raise a special needs child.

A kid deserved more than that, anyway. He couldn't promise himself, Cuddy, or the kid that he could stick around. He couldn't make such a big commitment. He would inevitably screw up the kid's life.

This was for the best. But why didn't he feel right?

 **Chapter 3 is written and ready for editing.**

 **And I am ready for some reviews! I haven't written for House in so long that I'd love some feedback to make sure I've still got my groove.**


	3. Clinical Tribulations

**Chapter 3!**

 **This is a bit of a filler chapter, just sayin'. The real drama begins in the next chapter. I just needed something to bridge the time gap between this chapter and the next one, so here's some Houseian insight.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own House.**

By the end of the week, House had moved the things he kept at Cuddy's house back to his own apartment.

This wasn't right. He wanted to keep his relationship with Cuddy more than anything, but raising a disabled child was more than he thought he could handle. It wasn't that he thought he was completely incapable of it; he just realized that it was a situation he would screw up within a month at the most.

He wanted to be there. He really did. So why couldn't he convince himself to apologize and change his mind? He had thought that walking out was the right choice. When he was right, he was proud.

But of all the thoughts and emotions running rampant through his mind right now, pride was not one of them. He wasn't satisfied in the slightest. He felt like shit for ruining something he had demanded for ten years, and he was frustrated because the right answer just wasn't there.

House decided that the best course of action was to do what he normally did. He took cases he deemed interesting, rejected ones he found boring, and took naps in the clinic exam rooms.

And if it weren't for Wilson's incessant nagging and worrying, he could have easily ignored the entire ordeal.

"So you're mad at your girlfriend because she's pregnant?"

House scowled at the clinic patient Cuddy had forced on him. "No, I'm pissed off because of how she's reacting to my reaction to something we found out about the pregnancy. Here. Piss in this cup so you can leave and I can go to my office and let my boss think I did my job."

"So you're trying to make your boss mad because you're mad at your girlfriend?"

House rolled his eyes. "God, why is this so hard to follow? My girlfriend is also my boss. Both in reality and in kinky roleplay."

"I don't understand how-"

"Did you drop out of middle school or something? It's called drama, loser. Now pee. I have a job to not do."

The patient looked uncomfortable as he took the cup. "Okay…"

House snorted. If Cuddy thought giving him the worst clinic patients would be an effective punishment, she was mistaken. He knew how to pull strings and get his own way so he could find a better distraction.

As soon as the patient left, House made a beeline for his office.

"Hold it!"

He froze, cringing. "Oh, so close!"

"You put a trash bag of diapers in Cuddy's office," Wilson accused as he joined House on the elevator.

"Me?" House feigned offence. "I demand a fair trial."

"This isn't about the prank, House. It's about the… the weakness of it. If you were okay as you say you are, you would have come up with something… good?"

House scoffed. "So my innocent prank is a sign that I'm dead inside and need someone to put me back together?"

"No. Normally you would try to piss Cuddy off to force an argument, because then you could make up. But you didn't put any effort into it because your guilt is telling you that it's not worth it."

"Seriously, Wilson. I still think you should drop out of Oncology altogether and become a shrink. Maybe then you'll find someone who actually cares about listening to you."

The elevator stopped and House limped out before Wilson could stop him. It was late evening and his case was closed, so he saw no point in staying on hospital premises.

He found his motorcycle keys and returned to the elevator. He hadn't seen or heard Cuddy all day, so it was easy enough to avoid her as he headed toward the hospital's exit.

As he did, he glimpsed in the direction of her office. If she was okay, she would have seen him and stopped him from leaving early. But she was looking at her computer with a sad, distant expression. He paused, torn between going into her office or leaving.

What could he do about it? He had already screwed up and going in there would just add icing on the cake. House reminded himself that it was in everyone's best interest if he stayed out of it.

He left. But each step he took made him feel less and less right.

 **Sorry for the short, boring chapter. Again- it's just bridging the time gap. Next chapter, y'all are gonna want to hang on to your butts because that's when my sins begin.**

 **Okay, maybe I won't sin that hard. But I stay true to my word that you need to hang on to your butts, because things are about to happen.**

 **If everyone subscribing could review, I could die on the floor in a puddle of my own joy. Feedback is my Vicodin!  
**

 **I have the next two slightly evil chapters just sitting on my flash drive, waiting to be posted...**


	4. All Fall Down

**Chapter 4!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own House.**

House saw little of Cuddy in the weeks that passed. He avoided her at all costs, unless he needed her permission to do a surgery.

After a week, he resumed his usual habit of doing things for the mere pleasure of annoying her. To his disappointment, it didn't spark the conflict he was aiming for.

As far as the pregnancy went, all he knew was that there were surprisingly few complications. It was still considered a risky pregnancy, but as far as he knew, it was going fairly smoothly.

Whether he wanted in or not, he wasn't sure. So he kept to himself, worked on cases, and avoided thinking about Cuddy and the baby.

Yet something gnawed at him. He didn't have that sense of inflated pride that he always felt when he was right. And it was driving him crazy. He wanted to feel like he had made the right decision.

He scoffed at himself as he increased the volume of his monster truck program and swallowed two Vicodin. His leg had been bothering him more in the past week, and for some reason the short walk from his handicapped parking spot to the hospital door left him drained.

Wilson preached about the connection between stress and pain until House decided he had heard enough. He didn't need to be counseled about making things right and apologizing so he could put himself at ease. All he needed was Vicodin and somewhere to hide from clinic duty.

"House?" Cuddy opened his office door. "Clinic."

"Actually, I'm fine here." House didn't look up from his television. "Can't watch monster trucks in the clinic."

Cuddy gave him a sharp look. He had been exasperating her all week, from bending hospital rules to abandoning clinic hours and doing procedures without consent. "House."

"You've gone up a cup size." Turning off the TV, House leaned closer, waggling his eyebrow suggestively.

"And you'd get to see it closer if you were lucky. Clinic."

He smirked as he stood up. "I'll just do what I usually do. Lock myself in an undetermined exam room, pretend I'm with a patient when I'm actually masturbating..."

"Please, House. I'm not in the mood to deal with you and your... behavior. I'm still upset with you and I have enough on my mind."

He took a step closer. "Like wondering if I was right all along? Oh, yeah... because I am."

"You're… pale." She frowned when she noticed the color draining from his skin. "And your limp is worse," she noted as he stepped closer.

"You're... pregnant," he mimicked. "And your shirt is tighter."

Cuddy ignored him as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you sweating? It's not even warm in your office."

House rolled his eyes. "I'm sweating because I have a boner that really needs some TLC."

"Shut up." As frustrated as she was, her concern was stronger. She pressed the back of her hand to his cheek. "You feel clammy. Sit down. I'm paging your team. You need an EKG."

"But I don't wanna go to the doctor, Mommy!" he whined, stomping his foot, which only made him dizzier. He scowled when Cuddy took advantage of his pause and grabbed his arms.

"Sit down." Cuddy urged him toward his chair.

"Is it time for a lap-" He paused when his breath hitched and his chest tightened. Suddenly Cuddy's voice was miles away as she tried to get his attention.

Even as he lost consciousness, House knew what was going on. He was having a damn heart attack. He groaned as Cuddy lifted his head into her lap.

"Stay calm," Cuddy said lowly as House's team came into the room with a gurney and a crash cart. "You'll be fine." She moved aside to let Cameron, Chase, and Foreman lift House onto the gurney.

She wanted to follow, but they knew what to do and she knew where he would be. She sighed worriedly and made her way toward Wilson's office, quietly knocking before letting herself in.

"Hey-" Wilson frowned. "What's wrong? Did House do-"

"He… he's having a heart attack. His team just took him."

Wilson paled slightly and stood up. "I'm coming. How bad?"

She shook her head as they walked out of his office. "I don't know. He was pale and sweaty when he stood up, but he didn't complain of chest pain or breathing difficulties. He just… collapsed."

"He'll be fine," Wilson assured her as they found seats in the waiting room. "I'll go get everything sorted out while you sit and relax. I'll grab us some breakfast."

"I'm fine."

"Remember, you're eating for two."

She sighed in defeat. "Yeah. I know. Go on." She sat down to wait and touched her abdomen. She was eighteen weeks along now and while her emotions had settled down, she stressed easily and this certainly wasn't helping.

A few minutes later, Wilson returned and handed her a bottle of juice and a biscuit. "Cameron gave him a clot buster. They're working on his BP now so they can stabilize him and assess the damage."

She groaned as she opened the juice. "God… I never even saw this coming. We were talking and he just… was pale and then he collapsed. If I had paid more attention, I could have noticed something sooner."

"Hey, do not blame yourself for this. Okay?" Wilson sat down across from her. "Heart attacks can happen completely out of the blue."

"He's stressed. Ever since I ended our relationship, he's been even more distant than usual."

"You're not in the wrong, Cuddy. This was just an occurrence of nature. He's nearly fifty, a habitual Vicodin user, has a terrible diet…" Wilson trailed off. "I'm honestly surprised his heart hasn't tried to kill him before. It's probably trying to get revenge on him."

She snorted, knowing that Wilson had a point. For a doctor, House had less than healthy living habits and it was a surprise that his arteries were even functional. "I know. But it doesn't stop me from worrying."

"I know. Me too. We'll just… sit and wait. He'll be okay."

"I hope you're right." Silence fell between them as they ate their breakfast. When she was done, Cuddy threw away her trash. "I just wish I could get through to him about… this."

Wilson thought for a moment. "I think… deep down, he wants to be there for you and the baby. He's worried he'll be a lousy father, so he broods and tries to make it seem like this is a game to him. He wants to make it not personal for him."

Cuddy nodded. She knew House was deflecting, as he always did. But how was she supposed to convince him otherwise? He was the most difficult, argumentative man she knew. When he thought he was right, there was nothing convincing enough to change his mind.

Stubborn ass.

But maybe he had enough sense to change his mind. It was a reach, but maybe. She could only hope that he would have some godforsaken epiphany that would change his mind.

Left with no other option, they sat in silence, worrying and waiting.

 **The next chapter is nice and LONG!**

 **Reviews are the foundation of a good society!**


	5. In Which Decisions are Made

**Chapter 5!**

 **I don't own House.**

The first thing House became aware of was a piece of plastic in his nose.

He quickly recognized it as an oxygen cannula and groaned softly. A moment later, he forced his eyes open. Sunlight spilled in through the windows, bathing the room in a soft glow.

"Hey. Welcome back."

House turned his head toward the voice and saw Cameron switching his IV drip for a fresh one. "How long have I been out?"

"About nine hours. You left Recovery six hours ago. Chase put a stent in, but you didn't need surgery."

He nodded. "Where are Wilson and Cuddy? I thought they'd be spreading tears and love all over the room."

"Dinner. They should be up any minute." She leaned over and gently squeezed his shoulder. "I'll let them know you're back among the living."

"Yeah." House leaned back against his pillows. A few minutes later, the door opened and Cuddy hurried inside.

"Hey. There you are." She stood next to his bed and touched his stubbled cheek. "You had a moderate heart attack. Not exactly minor, but not damaging enough to be major. You'll be fine."

"I had a heart attack? So that explains the oxygen gizmo. Here I thought I had the herpes."

She snorted but let out a soft laugh. "You're full of it. You're definitely okay, then. You had us worried. You just need to take things easy for a while until the damaged heart tissue heals."

"Yeah." He nodded. "So now I have a perfectly legit reason to not do clinic hours for… oh, a year or two?"

"Don't push your luck. Let's give it a month to start with."

"Can't blame a sick, weak man for trying with what little strength he has."

"Right. Your poor, poor man." She sat down in the chair next to the bed. "How long did you have symptoms before the heart attack?"

"A day, maybe two, maybe eighty-seven."

"In your words, that means about a week, right?"

He nodded. "You've earned your certification in House Translation. Congratulations."

She rolled her eyes and a silence fell between them. After a moment, it became uncomfortable.

House finally broke it, addressing the question that they both left unspoken. "I changed my mind. I want in."

Startled, she looked up. "You want in?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said gruffly. "I want in on my spawn's life. I thought ditching you and it would be the best thing, but I feel like I made a mistake."

Cuddy sighed softly. "If you want in, I need to know that you _really_ want in. I don't want you to stay because you feel guilty or obligated. I need to know that you're going to be there for this baby and me."

"I am."

"Are you sure? Fatherhood isn't some sort of free trial, House. You can't stick around for a month and then decide you don't like it. You're either in or out. It's your decision. Whatever you decide is final."

He was quiet for a long moment. "I'm in."

She nodded slightly. "Alright." She ran her hand over her abdomen. "I have an appointment in two weeks to find out the baby's sex, so you can finally stop calling it an it."

"But you just called it an it. Pot calling the kettle black, much?" he teased. "But we both know that it's a Mini-House."

"Oh, you know?"

"Yep. Can I call it Bungalow for now?"

"No."

"Dwelling? Shack? Cabin? Whorehouse?"

"Absolutely not."

He nodded. "Bungalow it is. Just until your doctor confirms that I'm right when we find out it's a boy."

"Or when we find out that I'm right and it's a girl. Mother's intuition."

He arched a brow. "Is that a bet? Are you forgetting that I'm _always_ right about… well, everything?"

"I'm not betting."

"Fine. Wilson will, because like I said- I'm always right." He smirked before he closed his eyes, still tired from the sedatives. "Does this mean I'm crashing at your place once I'm out of this dump?"

"This is _my_ dump, you know. Watch what you say."

"Or what? You'll punish me?"

"Very possibly."

"Oh, you naughty, _naughty_ woman."

She snorted. "Go to sleep, House. You need rest if you want to get out of here anytime soon. Remember, I can hold you hostage as long as I want to- without sex- if you don't cooperate."

"That's cruel and unusual punishment."

"Mm hmm. So avoid it by being quiet, going to sleep, and behaving."

"Aye aye, Cap'n. I'll sleep; you go do something nice for yourself and Baby Bungalow."

She groaned. "You're really going to drive me crazy with that, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. It would be a shame if I didn't."

"Go to sleep."

* * *

When House awoke again, Wilson had taken Cuddy's place.

"Why, Cuddles, you've transformed into my other knight in shining armor."

Wilson looked up from the magazine he was thumbing through. "Cuddy went to have dinner and take a shower. I told her to get some rest while she was at it. She's been here all day."

"You might know this by now, but Team Huddy is a thing again. Daddio stepped up his game and got the ship sailing again."

"She told me you wanted in." Wilson eyed his best friend warily. "Are you sure you meant it? I'm happy for you. Really. But I don't want to be picking up the pieces when something goes wrong."

"Everything's fine. I just realized it would be fun to have my very own personal spawn to train and influence."

"Ah, yes. A snarky, cynical smartass with no sense of boundaries. Every mother's dream."

House nodded. "You bet."

"So are you okay?"

"Well, I did just survive a relatively severe heart attack, but it rebuilt my broken, fragile relationship. So everything is perfectly swell right now, my guardian angel."

"That's good." Wilson nodded. "I'm happy for you. Just be careful this time."

"Life's more fun when you throw caution to the wind and let your inner wild desires run free."

"Right. Do that carefully."

"Party pooper."

* * *

Three days passed before Cuddy was comfortable discharging House. To her surprise, he cooperated fairly well.

"I'm starting you off with six weeks recovery. Enjoy your paid sick leave." Cuddy handed him his jacket. "And don't even think about having another heart attack."

House groaned. "But Moommm, all the cool kids are doing it! Once isn't enough!"

"It was more than enough. If you feel anything, even the slightest discomfort or you have trouble breathing, I want you to tell me." She handed him his cane as he stood up.

"Geez, you're bossy." He stood up. "Are you going to be waiting on me hand and foot for six weeks?"

"No. I'm just taking two days off to make sure your body responds well to being home. Your heart is pumping more slowly than it should, but you should regain almost full function." She grabbed her purse and keys.

"So you'll be at my beck and call for two days."

"I'll be there to make sure you don't do anything stupid. No driving for a week or so, no heavy lifting, no strenuous activity... You know the drill."

He huffed as he got in her car and buckled himself. "How restricted am I in the bedroom department?"

"No sex, House. We can't get your blood pressure that high so soon. Sorry." Cuddy started the car. "But we'll find other ways to keep you amused."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Both." Leaving the PPTH parking lot, she drove in the direction of House's apartment. "You can just take things easy for a week or two. Then we'll decide if you're ready to resume normal activities."

"Oh, I'll be ready."

"Sure you will."

"Go to a drive through. I'm hungry."

Pleased, she nodded. "That's good. What do you want?"

"An artery-clogging bacon cheeseburger with fries with sky-high sodium levels, please. With an extra-large milkshake."

She snorted. "Nice try. I may be your girlfriend, but I'm still your boss and doctor. I'm getting you a chicken sandwich."

"But _Mooommmmy,_ I want cholesterol!" he whined. "If you're gonna make me eat like a soccer mom, at least get me some fries to make up for it."

"A small order," she compromised. "You need to take care of yourself while you heal. Once I clear you, you can do anything you want."

"You're gonna bug the shit out of me with that, aren't you?"

"Yep." She smirked as she pulled into a Chick-fil-A drive through. She ordered for both of them, stifling an amused snicker when she added a fruit cup to House's order and he groaned.

"You're trying to kill me, woman."

"Yes, I'm trying to kill you by giving you foods that won't clog your arteries that just failed three days ago."

"Is that a confession?" he snarked. As Cuddy pulled up to the window to get the food, he leaned over and yelled, "This is not my mom! I've been abducted against my will!"

"House, get out of the way." She pushed his head away and paid the confused cashier. Then she handed House the bag and left the drive through. Five minutes later, they arrived at his apartment.

After lunch, House propped his feet up and turned on the TV. He clicked through the channels until he found one of his soap operas. "Ah hah."

Cuddy gathered their trash and threw it away. "This kitchen is a nightmare," she called into the living room as she checked the fridge, finding it devoid of little other than takeout boxes and beer bottles.

"Your secret sex fantasies are a nightmare!"

Rolling her eyes, she dumped the spoiled takeout down the garbage disposal and made a mental note to have Wilson bring some groceries over. "You're like a college frat kid. Do you completely live off of greasy food and alcohol?"

"Grease plus alcohol plus Vicodin equals happy House."

That reminded her of the issue she knew she needed to address. She had known for months and it was especially pressing now. "About your Vicodin..."

"What? I need to pop less to give my achy breaky heart time to mend?"

"Yeah." She sat down next to him. "I'll be monitoring your dosage. And... when the baby comes...?"

House fell silent for a long time before he muted the TV. "You're asking me to be a grown-up and detox."

"I'm not asking you to detox. I'm asking you to just... be smart. I don't want your Vicodin habit to affect our child. You need sound judgment."

"I'll have sound judgment."

"I need you to promise that you'll be careful."

House sighed. "I promise that I'll try to be careful. You knew what you were getting into when we started dating."

"I know," she admitted. "But... now we'll have a child to worry about. She'll need you to be there for her.

"You mean he'll need me to be there for him. Or it. I'm still calling it Bungalow until you find out the sex."

She snorted. "But I'm serious, House. Please. Be careful with your Vicodin. You'll be more susceptible to heart attacks from now on, and abusing narcotics will only run that risk."

"I know. And I know you're gonna tell me I have to change. And I'm gonna tell you that I can't. I'll do what I can to not screw this kid up."

"I didn't-"

"You didn't need to say it. Maybe you think I'll screw the kid up, or maybe you don't. But you wouldn't have addressed this issue if you didn't have at least a little bit of doubt. You have every reason to."

Cuddy nodded silently. This was one of the rare moments when House was open with her and she wasn't about to end it. If they were going to spend the rest of their lives together and raise a child, they needed to be open with each other.

"I want to be there for you. And Bungalow. But I can't change myself. I'll do what I can to protect this kid from my Vicodin use."

"Okay." She didn't point out that this was a major step for him. If she did, House would immediately deflect and shut her out. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I know you're a piece of work, House. But underneath all that... asshood, you're a good person. You would never mistreat a child, especially your own. And as crazy as it sounds, I trust you more than anyone else."

"You're really making a risky bet there." He slid an arm around her.

"I know." She leaned into him. "But sometimes you take risks in relationships."

"Yeah."

But how much could they risk?

 **Aaaand... review?**


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